Close To You
by Scarlet has Fantasy Issues
Summary: Razer finds himself interested in the young niece of Krew and she wants to grow close to him. A slightly different retelling of "Joyride's End" (rated M for language and future chapters) Razer/OC (Give Razer some loving!)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! So, I'm back with a slightly different retelling of "Joyride's End". This one **_**is**_** going to be slightly different than that one. A little longer and possibly with a happier ending. I haven't decided on that part yet. I've kept some of the same ideas for the most part, but I've decided to flesh it out a bit. I've also decided to bring in another character as I've improved, in my opinion, my ability to write. I'm hoping that you give this story a chance because I'm flying solo on this one and it's going to be slightly more mature than the original story. And I'm going to do my best on it. So, without further ado, please enjoy this little intro.**

**OOOOOOOO**

Mira Krew yawned as she sat in a chair across from her uncle in his bar in Kras City, listening to him explain something to her blue-haired cousin. She wasn't particularly interested in this business that her beloved uncle was conducting, but he was family, one of the only family members that she had left thanks to her mother passing at a young age. She didn't even know who her father was. Probably her uncle had him killed for thinking about touching Mira's mother and getting her pregnant, but Mira didn't think about that. She just wanted to get out of the mansion and enjoy what was left of her summer vacation before heading back to the boarding school with Rayn.

"And I've been forced to collect…slowly ever since," Krew wheezed, fanning himself with his tiny fan as he looked at the girls through his one good eye.

"That's nice, Father," Rayn said, tapping her manicured nails against the top of the table. Her slight accent matched Mira's perfectly. "But I don't see why that's my business right now? I'm still in school for one more year. Shouldn't you be talking about this with your suppliers?"

"It's going to be your business soon enough, eh?" Krew said, raising his voice slightly. "You're going to be taking your place as the head of the business and you'd better start shaping up, Rayn. I don't want to lose this whole City to that Mizo family, eh! I've worked too hard to keep control of it and I'm not about to let your stupidity take it all away!"

Mira glanced at her cousin as her uncle spoke sharply to his only child and saw the color rise up in the girl's cheeks. It was true that Rayn wasn't the best at her studies, but she'd never admit it freely. Rayn nodded slowly.

"Yes, Father," Rayn said.

"Now, take your cousin and go out into the City," Krew ordered, waving them off. "I have some suppliers coming in and I don't want them seeing you, eh? No daughter of mine is getting undressed with some pervert's eyes in front of me, understand?"

Rayn nodded again and rose to her feet, tugging on her shirt to straighten it. "Come along, Mira."

Mira rose to her feet and looked at her uncle with a small smile on her lips. "I'll see you later, Uncle."

"See that you stay out of trouble, Mira," he ordered, waving his fan in his face. "And don't go around that crew of Mizo's. They're nothing but trouble, eh?"

Mira nodded her head and turned to follow after her cousin. She slipped her battered purse over her shoulder and stepped out into the cool night air of Kras City, breathing in the smoky scent that came with the City. Rayn glanced at her and her amber eyes glinted darkly.

"I don't see why Father makes me keep an eye on you," she said, crossing her arms over her busty chest. "You can be so annoying sometimes and you get in the way."

"Sorry," Mira apologized, frowning. "But you know that Uncle doesn't like for either of us to be alone in this City. It's dangerous with Mizo and all of his company."

Rayn stuck her nose up in the air at that. "I'm not afraid of Mizo. He can't touch me. He wouldn't _dare _touch me. You, on the other hand, I'd gladly throw to him if given the chance. You'd make him a nice little treat, now wouldn't you, Mira dearest?"

Mira shook her head, her long black hair shimmering in the dim light of the bar's entrance way. She didn't like it when her cousin got this way, but it happened and it happened often whenever her uncle wasn't around. It was best not to comment on it because it only made the situation worse. It was just better to let Rayn have her say and her way. For Mira's sake.

"So," the heiress of the Krew family said, turning on her fancy heel and looking out at the City. "Where should we go on our last night in the City? Where should we go, indeed?"

Mira waited, holding her breath. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach as Rayn's spine straightened and she turned her face towards the younger teen with a wicked smile on her ruby lips.

"We're going to the Bloody Hook," Rayn said with a nod of the head that shook her fancy blue hair.

"But isn't that where Uncle told us not to go when we're here?" Mira asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Rayn made a face at her cousin. "What Father doesn't know won't hurt him. You're going to listen to me, Mira. Now come along. We're going. Maybe I'll get a date out of this and you'll have to walk home. Won't that be nice?" She let out a small laugh and started walking away, a slight sway in her curvy hips. "I think it is."

Mira shook her head and followed after her cousin. _This is a terrible idea._

OOOOOOOOO

Rayn pushed the doors to the Bloody Hook open and strutted in like a proud peacock with Mira following in right after her. Mira paused just inside the doors and saw the young, rough men immediately take notice of her and her older cousin. She recognized some of them from the racing circuit that she watched on the television back at school with her classmates. And she saw the weapons that they proudly didn't conceal. Drinks were sitting on their tables and cigarettes or cigars dangled between their fingers. Mira's emerald green eyes travelled over their hard muscles and tattoos that covered scars and fresh wounds and she quickly tore her eyes away when she realized that she was staring.

_Just breathe_, she told herself mentally, walking farther into the Bloody Hook and feeling more eyes on her still developing body. _But obviously not too deeply. It smells like stale smoke in here and body odor. Can't some of these men shower? Seriously! And there she goes again, the proud little bitch._

Rayn strutted over to bar with a purposeful sway in her hips, head held high and eyes followed her with hunger clear in them. She turned and casually sat down, throwing a leg over the other and waited patiently. On cue, men pushed themselves from their seats and flocked around her, pushing each other aside to get her attention and offer to get her a drink. Mira rolled her eyes as her cousin giggled and twirled a stray strand of blue hair around her finger, toying with the boys like she really cared what they were doing for her attention. She'd seen her cousin play this game before and didn't like it.

The younger of the cousins walked over to the farthest end of the bar and sat down on one of the stools, setting her slightly battered purse on the counter next to her. Her green eyes turned to the large fish tank that served as a sort of window to the outside world and she frowned. The old bartender was busy with the fray around her cousin, so she knew that she would be waiting for a while if she wanted to get a drink served to her.

"Figures," she muttered, shaking her head and tapping her chipped fingernails against the wooden bar. "I should have just stayed back at the school. Could have spent time racing my zoomer instead of dealing with this bullshit. Yet again."

She heard the door to the bar open and shook her head as she heard the booted footsteps of the newcomer pause. It figured that whoever it was would stop to look at her cousin and the group of men that was surrounding her. It was always the same. Everyone stopped to stare at the beautiful Rayn Krew. They couldn't help it. She was absolutely beautiful and the forbidden fruit. The apple of Krew's eye and he'd put a bullet through the head of the man who dared to touch his precious daughter.

_I wonder how Uncle would feel if he knew that his precious Rayn wasn't the innocent virgin that he thought she was_, Mira mused, propping her chin up on her hand. _Because she's been through a lot of the boys from the school down the road. And I know that she's going to try to pick up at least one of those blighters over there. If they tickle her fancy. If she could have had Razer without Uncle getting pissed at the thought of her having his enemy's best henchman, I know she'd have him in a heartbeat._

A slight shiver went down the girl's spine as she thought about the twenty-nine-year-old champion of the combat racing series that she absolutely adored, even if he was part of the Mizo crime team. She'd scream for him whenever he came on the television back at the school and dreamed about him constantly. Rayn had a thing for him too and claimed that the moment she met him; he'd be her greatest conquest. Mira had no doubt that her cousin's beauty and persuasion could make that happen, even though she hated to think that it would happen. She prayed to the Precursors that it would never come to pass.

She wasn't aware that someone had approached her from behind until they cleared their throat and spoke to her.

"You're in my seat, little girl," the slightly accented voice of the champion said from behind her, causing her heart to flutter in her chest.

Mira turned in her seat to find herself looking up into Razer's lime green eyes. A cigarette was tucked between his narrow lips and his proud face was angled towards her, not her cousin. She forced herself not to look down at his body, clothed in his famous red coat and white muscle shirt, black slacks and all. She shook her head.

"I didn't see your name on it," she told him flatly. "Besides, once my cousin over there turns her charms on you. You won't be thinking with your top head and will long forget about taking this chair. You'll only be thinking with your other head, so why fight it?"

She turned her back on him and looked back at the fish tank, watching the strange fish swim around in it. Mira hated that she sounded bitter to her favorite racer, but that's how Rayn made her feel around everyone.

What surprised her the most was that Razer sank onto the stool next to her and turned his back to her cousin and the group of men that surrounded her. He pulled his cigarette from his lips and tapped the ashes into a glass ashtray. Mira lifted an eyebrow at him.

"I do not believe that all men have to think with their other head," Razer told her, blowing out a stream of smoke beyond her head.

"Even when the other option in the room is drop dead gorgeous?" Mira asked, turning slightly in her seat to look at him fully.

The champion shrugged a shoulder. "I never really did care for the rich girl type."

"Too prissy for you?"

He hummed and stuck his cigarette between his lips, taking a small drag on it. "What right do you have to pick on the rich girls? Aren't you a rich girl, Krew?"

Mira gestured at herself. "Do I look like a rich girl?" She shook her head when his eyes roamed over her slightly rumpled skirt and shirt and scuffed up shoes. "I come from the poor end of the Krew family. Uncle doesn't like to spend much money on me beyond my schooling. I'm not his precious daughter." She crossed her arms and looked at him. "Aren't you rich?"

Razer shrugged a shoulder. "I got kicked out of the rich club. Too many rules and I don't like rules."

"Rules are meant to be broken."

"Exactly."

Mira sighed and listened to her cousin's false, girlish laughter. "I wish that I was back at the school. I'd like to be racing instead of listening to that all vacation."

Razer lifted a dark eyebrow, leaning his elbow against the counter of the bar. "You race?"

The teen nodded. "Yeah. Uncle doesn't know about it though." She picked at a spot on her skirt. "Zoomer drag races with the boys down the street mostly. I'm getting really good at beating them. I haven't had an accident in months."

"Sounds incredibly dangerous," Razer commented, watching her. "Shouldn't young girls like you be sleeping safely in bed by the time that the illegal drag races take place?"

Mira's temper flared briefly and she lifted her green eyes to meet his. "I'll have you know that I'm sixteen and I can handle a zoomer just fine, thank you very much! And what I earn from the races, I use to take care of myself since Uncle obviously doesn't care enough to do much for me."

Razer smirked at her and turned his head slightly when Rayn's laughter rose up again. She still hadn't noticed that the champion of her wildest fantasies had entered the Bloody Hook. And Mira hoped that it would remain that way.

The sixteen-year-old leaned forward and looked towards the bartender, still trying to sort through the orders coming from the group at the other end of the bar. "You know, I wish that he would get done with it and get down here," she told Razer quietly. "I'm getting thirsty and annoyed and I know it's not the poor bloke's fault. This always happens wherever I go with my cousin."

Razer smirked. "If it's a drink you want…" He turned slightly and raised the hand that held his cigarette between two fingers. "Sanders, a word."

The old bartender looked relieved to get away from the fray and moved down to their end of the bar, wiping his hands on the towel that hung from the front of his belt. His eyes strayed on Mira for a moment before turning to Razer. "Hey Razer," he greeted with a small nod of the head. "What can I get you today?"

"Scotch on the rocks," Razer told him before looking at Mira. "And something fruity for this little girl."

Mira made a face at him. "I am not a little girl and I can handle a stronger drink." She looked at Sanders. "Can I have some bourbon?"

Sanders reached under the bar for some glasses and lifted a bushy eyebrow. "Are you sure, Miss? Bourbon isn't a drink for a young lady such as yourself."

"I'm sure," Mira said with a nod. She turned her gaze back onto Razer as Sanders went about getting their drinks ready. "And my name is not 'little girl', Razer. If you must call me something, please call me by my name."

"And that is?"

"Mira."

Razer smiled a small smile. "Mira? Hm…"

The way that he said her name made a small shiver go down the girl's spine, but Mira hoped that it didn't show. Sanders placed her drink in front of her and put his hands on the bar's counter as she wrapped her hand around the glass.

"Now, Miss Krew," he said gently watching her lift the glass up. "Don't say that I didn't tell you that bourbon isn't a ladies drink." He looked to Razer. "You keep an eye on her, Razer."

Mira made a face at Razer as the bartender walked away. "I don't need a babysitter."

The champion swirled his Scotch around in his glass and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Did someone say that you did, Mira?"

Not saying anything to that, Mira took a sip of her bourbon. The liquid burned down the back of her throat, but she didn't cough. She wasn't going to show any weakness in front of the watching champion that she adored on the track. Mira heard him chuckle and lift his own glass to his lips, sipping at his own drink.

"So," she began before she realized that the false laughter had suddenly cut off.

Her eyes turned past Razer's head and she saw her cousin glancing their way. Mira's heart dropped into her stomach and her hands gripped onto her glass tighter. It appeared that Rayn had finally realized that the champion was in the room and that he wasn't over there with her, vying for her attention.

_Oh bull! _Mira thought glumly, bringing her drink to her lips and throwing the burning liquid down her throat in one go. _Well, there goes that. My conversation with Razer just ended and hers just began. Let the games begin! Way to go Mira! You just delayed the inevitable. How could you expect anything less?_

"Mira?" Razer prompted and Mira realized that he had been speaking to her and she hadn't been listening.

"Sorry," she apologized, shaking her head as she looked back at him. "But you've been spotted. By the beauty. She probably expects you to come over and worship her now like she rightfully deserves." Mira brushed her hair back away from her face, tucking it behind her long ear and set her empty glass down. "I'm not going to be too upset if you go off now. I'm used to it by now. Really, I am."

"And that's sad," Razer said, remaining in his seat with his back turned to her staring cousin. "But I'm not going to her. If she wants me, she has to come to me."

Mira lifted an eyebrow at his words. "She's not going to like that."

"Oh, boo hoo. Let me get a tissue for that one tear in my eye."

A little laugh passed between Mira's lips before she could stop herself. A smirk crossed Razer's lips as he lifted his cigarette to them once more. Mira's laughter stopped when she saw her cousin approaching, leaving her adoring men behind.

"Mira, why haven't you introduced me to your new friend?" Rayn asked, folding her arms under her chest so that it popped out even more. "Isn't that a bit rude of you, my dear cousin?"

Mira didn't like the forced sweetness in her cousin's voice. She lifted a hand and gestured at Razer. "You already know him, Rayn," she told her cousin flatly. "Seeing as you scream like a giddy schoolgirl every time he comes onto the television; you should recognize the great Razer when you see him in the flesh."

Rayn's amber eyes burned with suppressed anger and Mira knew that she would be paying dearly later. Rayn's ruby lips turned up into a sweet smile as she turned her attention onto the raven-haired champion and she thrust a hand out to him.

"Hello Razer," she purred. "It's so good to finally meet you."

Mira watched Razer tap his cigarette's ashes onto her cousin's pale hand and stick the cancer stick back between his narrow lips. "I know," he said simply.

_Score one for the champion_, Mira thought, fighting back the urge to laugh at her cousin's slightly mortified reaction.

"Yes, well." Rayn brushed off the ashes and returned her arm to its position under her breasts. "Would you care to have a drink with me? Perhaps we could talk business? As friends?"

"Perhaps," Razer said, shrugging a careless shoulder. "You'll have to buy your own drink, Krew. I came shortchanged today."

Rayn smiled and promptly took the seat next to Razer. Mira watched the other men that had flocked around her cousin get sour expressions on their face and stomp off to their original seats. She knew that there would be some heavy drinking in their futures tonight.

_Poor bastards_, she thought, hearing her cousin order a fruity drink from the bartender. _Poor me too. I really can't stand this. Not again. I won't stay if this is happening. I won't._

Mira stood up slowly, drawing the attention of the champion beside her. "I'm going to the ladies' room," she told him quietly. "Don't try to steal my seat. I'll be right back. Maybe. If you're still here with _her_." She jerked her head in the direction of her cousin who was happily babbling to the bartender. "Which you probably won't be. So, goodbye in any case."

Mira turned on her heel and walked over to the ladies' room which obviously wasn't used much, judging by the cleaner condition that it was in. The girl walked over to the small sink and gripped at the white porcelain, looking at her mirrored reflection and wishing that she didn't look so tired.

"I hate that this happens every single time," Mira muttered to her reflection, staring at her own green eyes. "Every time I find some interesting guy to talk to, she has to swoop in and make her moves on him. I can't have a man to myself because she has to have her way with him first. I don't want her sloppy seconds, now do I? No! But what choice do I have? I wasn't graced with her looks or her money or her power of persuasion. Just her last name which isn't enough. What chance did I even have with someone like Razer?"

Mira cursed under her breath and shook her head as she tightened her grip on the edges of the sink until her knuckles stood out white against her skin. "This is just perfect! She's going to find her way into his bed tonight, somehow someway. And then all of my friends are going to hear about it and I will have nothing to say but that I just talked to him. I delayed him long enough for her to find out that he was in the same room with her. Why the hell did I even have to come back to Kras City? I should have stayed back at school. It would have been a lot less painful than this. Mara would have never done this to me."

Angry tears sprung in her eyes and Mira willed them back. "I really hate my cousin sometimes! I really do!"

OOOOOOOOO

Razer watched the younger Krew cousin slump off into the ladies' room and close the door against the world like it had done her so much wrong. Rayn was talking animatedly next to him and he found that he didn't care much for what she was saying. He noticed that Mira had left her purse on the counter when she had fled upon her cousin's arrival and reached for it, taking in how light it was and the slightly battered appearance. It seemed that she hadn't been lying that she had come from the poor end of the Krew family. No rich girl would have dared come out in public with such a battered purse that contained so little.

"So, how about we talk business now, Razer?" Rayn asked, drawing his attention away from Mira's purse and onto the rich heiress of his boss' enemy's family.

_How convenient and forward of her_, Razer thought, noticing that Rayn's blouse was partially unbuttoned, revealing part of her plump breasts to the world.

"Unless there is something else you want to talk about," Rayn continued, leaning forward slightly as if to give him a better view of what was down her shirt.

Razer turned his face away from her and set his drink aside as he gripped Mira's purse tighter in his hand. "No," he said simply, rising to his feet.

"No?" Rayn repeated, looking shocked. "What do you mean?"

"I believe that word needs no further explanation," Razer told her, turning his back on her. "I know that you may not hear it often, but perhaps you should, Krew."

The raven-haired champion walked over to the ladies' room and paused outside of it, hearing the young girl muttering to herself inside of it. He couldn't understand her words and decided that he didn't care. She sounded mildly upset. Without bothering to knock, Razer pushed the door open and Mira's emerald green eyes rose up in the mirror to look at him. Her eyes were tired as she stared through the mirror at him.

"If you're looking for a place to screw my cousin, you're not going to find it in here," she told him bitterly, gripping the sides of the sink. "I'm going to wait in here until I can think of a way to get back to Uncle's mansion without her and without getting myself killed in the process. So, go screw her somewhere else for all I care."

Razer lifted her battered purse so that she could see it and slipped into the small space, closing the door behind him. "You forgot something," he told her. "I can't have a girl getting her makeup all runny over a guy as perfect as me."

A small laugh passed through her lips. "You're full of yourself, you know that?" She shook her head as she turned to face him. "Besides, I don't wear much makeup. I can't afford it. So, there's probably nothing but lip balm in there."

_Obviously,_ Razer thought as he hung the purse up on a hook on the wall.

"If you're not in here to find a place to screw my cousin, then why are you in here?" Mira asked, folding her arms over her chest. "She's not going to be happy that you're in here with me and not out there with her. She's going to be absolutely unbearable when she gets me alone."

"Isn't a little trouble worth it though?" Razer asked, looking at her.

"Not when it comes from my cousin, it doesn't. You don't know how she gets, Razer."

"And I don't want to know her." He smirked at the younger woman. "I think I prefer the ones that run into the ladies' room to hide and mutter at their reflections like its perfectly sane. The ones that drink bourbon and race illegally behind their uncle's back. Does that sound familiar, Mira?"

Mira shook her head and stepped back against the wall to the nearest stall. "You're probably insane. Do you know how long she's beaten me down because of how I've defied her? She's been ready to throw me into your boss' hands since the day that we've stepped into Kras City. Does that sound fun to you?"

Something stirred in Razer's gut and he took a step towards the girl. "Like Krew would let that happen to his own niece."

"I've already told you that Krew doesn't care much for me. What Rayn wants, she gets. I'm second class to her." She lifted a hand and pointed past Razer's shoulder. "You really should go to her and give her what she wants. Please, for the both of us."

Razer ignored her and moved forward, pressing his hands against the stall wall on either side of her head. His lime green eyes held her gaze as he looked down at her slightly startled expression.

"I am not going anywhere, Mira," he told her firmly. "I do not care what your cousin does or does not do. A little trouble in my life makes it interesting. I've always walked on the dangerous side. And from what little you've told me about your life, I know you've skirted on the dangerous road too."

Mira pressed a hand against his chest, but didn't try to force him back. Razer didn't think that she had the strength yet to move him.

"So, how about this, Mira," he continued, looking down at her. "Put aside your good girl tendencies and forget about your prissy little cousin for one night and play with the big boys. Let this champion show you how the real racers have a good time on the dangerous streets of Kras City. Or are you chicken?"

Mira stuck her chin up defiantly and wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. "I'm not a chicken."

Razer's eyes followed the trail of her tongue even when it slid back into her mouth. His face had begun to lower towards hers before he could stop himself when the door to the small room burst open. He turned slightly to look at the entrance and found a furious Rayn standing there. He too felt slightly annoyed that he had been interrupted, but he knew that the blue-haired beauty was even more pissed that he was caging the raven-haired rebel against his body and had just been about to possibly kiss her. Not Rayn.

"Mira, we're going home!" Rayn snapped, her accent making her words sound even more clipped.

Razer felt Mira's fingers rub against the cloth of his shirt and he looked down at the girl. She shook her head at his raised eyebrow and she looked back at her cousin.

"You go home, Rayn," she told her cousin as Razer plucked her battered purse off of the hook. "I'm going to stay out for a while longer. Razer seems to have something that he wants to show me."

Razer smirked at Rayn's steadily reddening face as he handed over the purse.

"You are coming home with me right now, dammit!" Rayn hissed, pointing at Mira. "As your older cousin, you have to do what I tell you to do! So, come along, Mira!"

"No," Mira said simply, folding her arms over her chest.

"Mira!"

Razer pressed past the angered beauty and heard Mira start to follow after him. Something sounded like it was being struck and he turned around in alarm, expecting to find Rayn beating Mira. But what he saw surprised him.

Mira was standing with her hand pulled back, ready to slap her cousin again. Rayn was sitting on the floor, holding her cheek and looking horrified.

"You hit me!" Rayn cried.

"And I'll do it again if you try to lay another hand on me," Mira swore, lowering her hand slowly. "I'm done being manhandled by you, Rayn. If Uncle would listen to me, I would tell him everything that you've done to me, but we both know that he wouldn't hear one word against you. So, why bother?"

Her green eyes turned back onto Razer and she walked over to him, a small sway in her narrow hips. Razer turned his back on Rayn and led the way out of the suddenly silent Bloody Hook, feeling all of the eyes on him and the raven-haired Krew. Mira drew up next to him as they approached his Havoc.

"It's a beauty," she told him, running her hand over the red chrome.

_Maybe one day you'll be a full one too_, Razer mused before he could help himself. He shook his head and moved over to the driver's side, pulling open the door.

He motioned for her to slide in before him. "After you," he said gently.

Mira climbed in and slid as far over as she could, situating her purse on her lap. Razer climbed in after her and strapped himself in. Rayn appeared out of the Bloody Hook and came up on Mira's side of the car, putting her hands upon Mira's arm.

"Father will hear about this," she swore, narrowing her amber eyes at the girl. "You mark my words, Mira. He will hear about what you've done to me!"

Mira flicked her cousin's hands off of her arm. "I'm sure you'll tell him a lot of things, Rayn dear, but I don't really care." She glanced over at Razer as he started the Havoc. "So, about this good time?"

Razer smirked and looked over at her. "Hold on, little Krew."

The girl's laughter rose up into the air as he tore off out of the Bloody Hook's parking lot and into the darkened streets of Kras City.

OOOOOOOOO

Mira enjoyed every minute of the time that she got to spend with Razer that night. His idea of a good time was an extreme joyride throughout the streets of Kras City. She knew that he was just showing off when he outraced the cops through alleys and took such tight turns that he scraped against the sides of walls. Occasionally, she bumped against him, but he didn't complain. He'd simply brush his hand against her as he shifted gears and glance in her direction as if making sure that she was having a good time. A smirk never left his face as he drove her around town for hours until he decided that it was time for little girls like her to be going to bed. Mira had to remind him that she was not a little girl, to which he chuckled and made a small comment about how her body seemed to think differently. She made no comment about that, silently wishing that she had more curves on her that could have kept his attention like other woman possibly could have.

"So, tomorrow I have to go back to the boarding school," Mira announced, leaning back against the hood of his Havoc as they stood side by side outside of the front gate to her uncle's mansion. She could feel the heat of the still purring engine against her back and wished that the lights of her uncle's mansion weren't on. "And the drag races won't start up again for a couple weeks after I get back to the school."

"I'm sure you'll manage," Razer said and Mira saw the brief flare of light signaling that he was lighting up another cigarette. "Good girls always do."

"And you're going to go back to racing soon," Mira guessed, turning her face back towards him. "I'll be watching you and the others. Unfortunately, so will Rayn."

"Like I care what she does."

Mira frowned and brushed back a strand of dark hair. "She's going to try to kill me for hanging out with you tonight, but I should be fine. She has terrible aim." She lifted an eyebrow. "Do you think you chose the wrong cousin yet, Razer?"

The champion shook his head and blew out a stream of smoke. "No."

"Okay then." She pushed herself to her full height and looked back at the car, patting the hood. "You're going to have to paint your Havoc again. It got a bit scuffed up during the joyride."

"It'll be fine again in no time."

Mira lifted her green eyes towards his. "Thank you for taking me out for the night, Razer. I really enjoyed it. I really did."

"Really, I couldn't tell that with all of the screaming and the smiles." He chuckled. "Some girls really can't control themselves around me. I might have to get security to protect me around you."

"So full of yourself," Mira said, shaking her head with a smile. "I guess I probably will only see you on the television from now on since Uncle is your enemy and all."

"Not likely," Razer told her quietly.

Mira stared at him briefly before beginning to turn. "Goodnight Razer and thanks."

OOOOOOOOO

Mira had begun to turn away from him and Razer reacted on impulse. He reached out his free gloved hand and snagged her hand, holding her in place. The young niece of his enemy turned her face to him in confusion.

"Razer?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow as her free hand adjusted the strap of her purse.

_Do it! _Razer's mind screamed at him as his eyes lowered to her lips and then back onto her eyes. _Do it now, dammit!_

His hand tightened on her smaller one and then he released it, his courage fleeing him for once. "Goodnight Mira," he told her, looking away from her.

"Oh," Mira said before turning and walking away.

Razer turned his gaze back onto the teenager as she put in the code to the front gate and slipped through it. The gate immediately slid back into place, barring him from going after her. Not that he couldn't climb over the damn thing or ram his combat vehicle through it, but he didn't feel like doing either at that moment. He simply watched her walk towards her uncle's mansion for several moments, feeling more annoyed with himself than he had in a long time.

"Bugger!" he cursed, sticking his cigarette between his lips and pushing himself away from the hood of his Havoc. "Coward!"

He slid into his Havoc and didn't bother strapping himself in as he tore away from the Krew mansion in the direction of his own. He could still hear the girl's laughter in his head from when he had taken her along for a ride throughout this dangerous City. Her warm scent still lingered in the cab, mixing with the scent of leather and cigarette smoke.

"Coward," Razer repeated, pulling his cigarette from between his lips and smashing his fist against the steering wheel. "I've never been a coward in my entire life! How could I have been one in front of one young girl?"

_But there's still time_, he reminded himself, glancing out the window at the world passing by. _I still have time to make things right and I plan on making up for my cowardice. One way or another, this champion will prove that there is not one cowardly bone in his body!_

OOOOOOOOO

Mira was grounded. Grounded severely. She was not to leave the campus grounds of the boarding school because of what Rayn had told Krew upon the blue-haired beauty's return to the mansion. Not that Mira wouldn't find a way to make it to her illegal drag races somehow. But she would have to remain on the campus grounds and not return to Kras City until she graduated. Unless her uncle passed away which with all of his armed guards and shiny toys, she highly doubted that he would anytime soon. Even with all of his enemies, Krew was well protected and connected and his life was not really in danger at that moment. Her grounding would be intact for two more years and probably longer than that if Krew had his way.

_Life is going to be absolutely miserable back at school_, Mira thought, yawning as she stood on the ferry dock the following morning, a good distance away from Rayn and what friends that they both somewhat shared. _Rayn will see to that. It's a good thing that I don't have to deal with her for much more than a year. I'd die if I had to put up with her for much longer than that in such a small space._

She could pick up small snippets of Rayn's animated conversation with the other girls and shook her head. It appeared that Rayn was talking about how she had had a date with Razer at some fancy restaurant that Mira had never heard about and the girls were just eating it up.

"Can't even get her stories straight," Mira muttered, adjusting her strap of her purse.

"Honesty has never been her strong suit, has it?" Razer's voice met her ears and a smile came creeping onto Mira's face.

"Razer!" Mira said, turning to see the raven-haired champion standing at her side. "What are you doing here? Come to piss my cousin off further?"

"Although that it always a delight, I have some unfinished business with you, Mira," Razer said, tossing aside his cigarette like it displeased him. He brushed his gloved fingers against his chest and looked at them. "And I'm afraid that it cannot wait for your return from the all girl's school."

Mira took a step back. "Unfinished business? Razer, if this is about that damage to your paint job, I'm sorry but you did that. I can't afford to pay for it. So, unless you're going to try to kidnap me and get a ransom to cover it – a ransom that my uncle will probably not pay, by the way – you're not getting your money from me."

Razer lifted his gaze to hers. "It's not money that I'm after, Mira. I have plenty of that to go around. No, I have _other _unfinished business with you."

Mira lifted an eyebrow. "I don't know if I like your tone of voice."

"Well, you might like this then and your cousin will definitely not."

Razer's arm snaked around her thin waist and pulled her flush against his hard body. His other hand caught her chin and tilted her face up towards his. Mira's eyes fluttered shut as the champion's lips closed in over hers, kissing her softly.

_My first real kiss!_ Mira thought, hearing the excited squeals of the other girls as they realized what was happening. _And it's coming from _the _Razer?_

Mira opened her eyes as Razer parted from her and she cocked an eyebrow, raising a hand to touch the side of her neck to find it flushed with heat. "_That_ was your unfinished business?"

Razer hummed in agreement and shoved one of his hands into the pocket of his long red coat. "I should have done that last night," he told her. His eyes flickered in the direction of Rayn and the other girls, even as Krew started screaming orders for his men to do something about Razer's presence. "You're about to become extremely popular, Mira. Try to enjoy it for once."

Mira glanced over at the other girls and crouched to scoop up her bags. She looked back at Razer, smiling at him. "Thank you, Razer," she told him. "For everything."

The champion nodded and turned, waving a hand over his shoulder. "I will see you again, Mira Krew. You mark my words."

Mira turned away herself and hurried onto the ferry as it arrived, trying to get away from her friends as they screamed her name. Color flooded her face and her lips tingled as she took a place at the back of the ferry. She set her bags down and brushed her hair back out of her face when the wind swept it into it. As the ferry finished loading and lifted off, Mira heard the familiar roar of an engine and leaned over the railing, looking towards the City.

A red Havoc was keeping pace next to the ferry on the street. Mira saw the dark-haired champion glance her way and smiled at him, raising her hand in farewell. She pressed a hand to her lips and blew a kiss to him. He smirked at her and turned sharply as some of her uncle's crew appeared behind him, tearing off into the City and out of her sight.

_I will see you again_, Mira thought, straightening and gripping the railing as she looked out the distancing City. _And maybe things will be different for us. Maybe I'll be different and we can have another ride through the City. And a different kind of kiss._

She turned as her friends found her. "Mira, tell us everything!"

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Okay, so this was slightly longer than what I usually write and I've included more of a perspective from both main characters than I used to. I've found that I'm growing quite fond of jumping between perspectives and slight time jumps. So, there will be a time jump in the next chapter. A small one because I want to bring in Mira's friend that I vaguely mentioned in the last chapter of "Joyride's End" and in this little intro.**

**I've had a writing bug lately and I like it. I do hope that you've stuck around for this long and that you're willing to give this a chance. That you're willing to give me another chance. I've grown as an author and I'm going to try not to let you down. Please leave a comment or two in the little box and have a great week ahead! Love you and Razer and all things Jak! -Scarlet**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again! So, no one really paid attention to that last update and that's okay. I'm still going to play around a bit with this story. I like doing that, even if it's for a few people or just for my own entertainment. Someone is bound to get entertained by this. So, if you're around, please enjoy this little time jump and update! Thanks!**

**OOOOOOOO**

_**Three Months Later…**_

Mira stepped into her room at the boarding school and pressed a hand to her chest when she saw that her best friend was lounging about on her bed, feeling her heart race. "Mara!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing in here?"

Mara lifted her blue gaze from a piece of paper in her hands and smiled from Mira's bed. "You got a letter today, Mira," she announced, waving the piece of paper. "From Razer."

Just like that, Mira's heart started racing again. She crossed her room in three steps and snatched the paper from Mara's hand. She loved her best friend to death as she was the only one in the entire boarding school that Rayn couldn't buy with her money. But there were moments like this where even Mara could be too much.

"Give me that!" Mira snapped, twisting away from Mara and sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Don't you know that you're not supposed to read other people's mail? It's rude, Mara!"

Mara swung her long legs over the side of the bed and pushed her long black hair back over her shoulder. "I wouldn't have read it if I wasn't concerned that Rayn was going to get her hands on it first. You know that she has always wanted to get her hands on your things before you do. Lucky for me, I work in the mailroom, so I know what comes in and what goes out." She gestured at the letter in Mira's hand. "He really seems to be interested in you, little Mira. I know that combat racing champions don't just send letters to just any school girls. And certainly not the nieces of their enemies. You must have done something to earn his attention while you were on vacation in Kras City."

"I must have," Mira agreed, remembering the joyride that Razer had taken her on and the brief kiss that they had shared before she had returned to this hellhole, she called a school.

Mira's green eyes scanned the letter in front of her, marked by Razer's handwriting.

_**Mira, it has been a while since we last saw each other and I have not quite forgotten you. I believe that my luck has changed for the better since our little adventure together that night before you left for that school of yours. My racing has never been better. And my hair is still perfect! Ha! I don't believe you had anything to do with that, but you may have noticed that on the television? Yes? Tell me, do you still scream for me every time you see me on the screen? Does your heart race with every big kill that I make? I can just see that smile on your face as I take each turn. It makes me laugh.**_

_**How are you handling that little sport of yours? That little illegal drag race that your uncle doesn't know about? I know it's incredibly dangerous. I know you'd like for me to come and see you one day but, how could I? If your uncle doesn't know about them, how would I know where to find them? Of course, I am much smarter than your uncle if I could manage to secret you away for that joyride, yes? Hm…I do hope that you are being wise around your cousin. Should something happen to you, that would be a tragedy. Wouldn't it? Who would I torment her with then? I do particularly enjoy your company at the Bloody Hook as you are the only girl that can drink bourbon without bursting into a coughing fit. Don't disappoint me, Mira. I would hate to disappoint you. -Razer**_

"Wow," Mira whispered, setting the letter down on her lap. "He's still so full of himself, after all of this time. Just…wow."

Mara patted her on the shoulder. "What did you expect from a champion racer like him?" she asked. "Them to be all soft and squishy and warm?" She snorted. "Face it, Mira. He's going to be cocky and full of bullshit. It's in his nature."

"I guess so." She sighed and shook her head. "Why else are you in my room, Mara? You could have just as easily passed this into my hand and moved on without lounging about in here? Something is going on. Tell me."

Mara smiled wickedly. "There's a drag race going on tonight, honey. The first one of the season and you've been invited."

Mira blinked in surprise. "Tonight? Are you sure?"

"Yep. Braxxin told me himself. And you know that he never lies to me. Especially after what I did for him." Mara examined her nails proudly. "He'll never forget me after that night."

Mira shook her head sadly. "You know that I'll have a hard time getting out of the school now that Uncle has put me under watch. I mean, I know that I can sneak out, but it'll be difficult with all of the teachers watching me like hawks."

"Leave them to me. We look almost exactly alike, Mira." She gestured at herself. "Besides, zoomer drag races are your passion. Almost as much as Razer is. You have to go tonight and every other night that there is one. I'm going to make you."

Mira smiled slightly. "Have I told you what a great friend you are lately?"

"You haven't and you don't have to." Mara pushed herself off of the bed and fixed her black skirt. "Now, do you think your champion is going to pop up and see you at the race tonight?"  
Mira gestured down at the letter in her lap. "He said that he wouldn't show up. And why should he? He's famous, Mara. These are small, illegal races. They're not worth the time of a big-league combat racer. And I'm the niece of his enemy."

"And yet, you've been on a joyride with him, got kissed by him in front of a bunch of people, and have a letter by him sitting on your lap right there. I'd say that's the start of something. He might show up to one of your races and maybe he'll be your good luck charm like you're turning out to be his?"

Mira shook her head and looked down at the letter in her lap. "I don't know, Mara. I just don't think I have it in me to have a lasting relationship with someone as big as Razer. Someone like me couldn't keep his attention for long."

"Not with that attitude, you won't." Mara reached down and pulled Mira to her feet, knocking the letter to the floor. "Now, come on. We're going to change you into some proper clothes for your race. The boys won't know what to think of you this year."

OOOOOOOOO

Razer slowly approached a cluster of young males where he knew that the illegal drag races were going to take place, looking rather unlike himself. It was necessary that he try to blend in with this crowd as he did not want to be recognized as the champion that he was. Not when he wanted to merely observe that little Mira Krew that had interested him so much that one night.

He had forgone his famous red coat and chosen to simply wear black pants and a white muscle shirt, leaving his toned arms bare, revealing his blue, tribal tattoos. His proud features were hidden behind a black bandana that he had pulled over his lower half of his face and his eyes were covered by dark racing goggles that only he could see through. Mira would not recognize him; he was sure of that. She'd admire his body because who wouldn't? But his identity was safe tonight.

Razer pushed his way through the crowd and made his way to the front. _And there she is_, he thought to himself, spotting the girl that had captivated his thoughts for a while now. _Hm. She's filling out quite nicely, isn't she?_

Mira was standing next to a silver zoomer, dressed in a pair of very short black shorts and a red midriff shirt that revealed her toned stomach and just a hint of her blooming cleavage. Black boots defined her leg muscles nicely and Razer felt himself tighten at the sight of her, even before he could stop himself.

_Calm yourself,_ he mentally ordered himself, shaking his head. _She is too young for you to touch right now and would probably melt if you did. Be patient._

Razer watched as Mira bent her body over her zoomer and examined something, her hair swinging in front of her face for just a moment. A handsome male approached her and placed his hand on her back, spooking her so that she popped upright and almost crashed into the male's arms.

_And what does that fool thinks he's doing? _Razer thought, narrowing his eyes behind his goggles.

The handsome male placed his hands upon Mira's arms and ran his fingers along her skin, talking to her like he was familiar with the girl. Mira tilted her head to the side and stared up at his face, listening for a moment before responding. Razer could not hear what was being said, but he couldn't press in closer to do so. Though he would have loved nothing more than to cross over to that infernal male and rip him away from the dark-haired Krew, even if it meant that he would reveal his presence to the entire illegal racing community gathered there that night.

_Get away from her! _Razer thought to the male as he continued to talk to Mira like he was quite close to her. _Get away from her right now dammit! Or so help me I will find you later and place a shell right between your eyes, little boy!_

The male's face began to lower towards Mira's and her green eyes flashed darkly. She pushed him away from her roughly and shook her head, pointing her finger up at his throat. Razer smirked triumphantly behind his bandana when he saw her mouth some angry words at the handsome male, obviously threatening him with something nasty. The male held his hands up in surrender and slowly backed off. Mira took a step in his direction, still glaring after him until he completely disappeared and then shook her head again. She waved her hand dismissively and turned back towards her zoomer.

_Good girl_, Razer thought, watching her. _You've finally learned how to use your claws, Mira. I'm proud of you._

His eyes turned in a slightly different direction as an older male approached Mira and another zoomer appeared, carrying another male on it. She glanced up and quickly mounted her zoomer, activating it with a loud purr. It appeared that the first of the races was about to begin.

The older male quickly relayed the few rules for the illegal drag race and floating cameras immediately zoomed ahead of the two racers as Mira and her competitor squared up next to the old man. He lifted two white flags in his hands slowly and glanced at each of them before dropping the flags. Both zoomers tore off into the darkened streets, following a path dictated by the racing team.

Razer's eyes turned towards the small screens that displayed the racers as they rode through the darkened streets and fixated on Mira naturally. He watched her zoomer twist and turn through dark with almost expert precision and knew that she hadn't been lying about her talents growing. Her opponent came upon her fast and he saw her glance over her shoulder at him, her hair whipping out behind her like a black curtain.

"Throe is going to do something big, man," one of the other males commented, watching the screen. "You know he doesn't like to lose to a chick."

"Yeah, especially when it's Krew," another one responded, shaking his head. "And look, there he goes."

Razer's heart thudded painfully in his chest when Throe knocked his zoomer against Mira's, sending her against a wall, pinning her against it so that her zoomer scraped against the wall as they raced. Mira's face screwed up in slight pain and he knew that her knee was dragging against the wall, but she twisted her zoomer back against Throe's, knocking him back away from her, giving her some small relief. But that idiotic male came back for her, not giving up on his aggressive tactics.

_Do something, Mira!_

Mira decelerated quickly, causing Throe to crash his zoomer into the wall before punching on the throttle. Her zoomer launched forward and sped off far ahead of Throe's, taking her far away from him. Razer felt his body relax a little as he watched her zoomer twist and turn through the remainder of the streets, taking jumps over long ditches and bounce slightly on the landings.

_You're playing a dangerous game here, Mira,_ Razer thought, ready to chide the girl as he heard her zoomer coming upon the crowd once more. _Are you sure you're ready to handle the consequences?_

OOOOOOOOO

Mira coasted across the finish line and let out a small sigh of relief as the boys cheered for her. She shook her head and swore under her breath as her knee smarted where Throe had crashed her into that wall on the course. Her green eyes turned down and she saw the red oozing out of her flesh and knew that she'd need to get some Green Eco on it before she could head back to the school for the night. To explain how that had happened would not be good for her future here at the illegal races.

"You're a complete asshole, Throe," she told him as he coasted up next to her, finishing a minute behind her. "You know that, don't you?"

Throe pushed up his racing goggles with one hand and glared at her with his gray eyes. "You don't have to be such a bitch about it, Mira. We were racing and you know that I ain't going to play fair. I promised you that I wasn't the first time that we squared up."

"Yeah, well, next time, don't make me bleed so much, okay?" Mira gestured down at her leg with a hand. "I can't really explain that away to the school, now can I?"  
Throe hardly glanced down at her leg. "I'm not going to promise anything to you. When we match up next time, Mira. I'm going to kick your ass."

"So, you keep telling me, Throe. And you keep disappointing me each time." She made a kissy face at him. "See you around, honey."

Throe smirked at her as he pulled down his goggles once more. "See ya, Mira."

Mira watched him wheel his zoomer around and tear off into the night, speeding away like a bat out of hell. She shook her head and moved her zoomer out of the way of the next pair of racers before dismounting. Someone gave her some Green Eco to put on her leg and she quietly thanked them as she applied it, cleaning away the blood once her leg was healed. Her eyes turned towards the crowd of men from the school down the street as she straightened and she noticed that one in particular was staring at her.

_Why do you seem so familiar? _Mira wondered, staring back at him. _I've never seen you around here before. And you seem…older than the rest of the boys? Maybe you're from out of town. _She shook her head and looked away. _He's probably a graduate or someone from the older generation of zoomer races. But why the hell would he be staring at me? Yes, I'm one of the only chicks that races in these things, but I'm not the prettiest. Hell, Sasha has the looks that could make a man melt upon sight and she's right over there. Why would anyone like that want to stare at me?_

Mira turned her back on the mysterious, but handsome stranger and pulled her hair up into a long ponytail. "I'm being ridiculous," she muttered to herself. "I keep thinking that people are staring at me and interested in me. And all I keep thinking about is if Razer could be interested in seeing me again. Why would he? Mara is wrong. What we had that one night and that brief kiss, was it. I don't care about that letter. That was him just teasing me. Nothing more."

She sighed and lowered her hands. "But what if it wasn't? What if he really does want to see me again? And have something? I know that I want something more out of this, but that's because I'm just a fangirl. A stupid, childish fangirl."

Mira shook her head again and crossed over to the crowd, waiting for her next chance to take the course.

OOOOOOOOO

Mira was just inches from him and Razer wanted to touch her. He had witnessed her race three more times that night, each time to her victory and each time she had laced her pockets with plenty of Precursor Orbs. Now, she stood in front of him among the males, watching the screen as yet another race took place. And Razer could easily stretch his hand out and place it upon her back, smoothing his fingers down the curve of her spine. The thought of feeling that warm, pale flesh caused him to tighten uncomfortably again and he knew that he would have to handle that situation himself later, though he would rather have someone else handle it for him.

_Her_, he thought, eyeing Mira from behind. _I would rather have her handle it._

Razer cursed under his breath and turned his gaze away from her as she made a small comment to one of her friends. How could such a young girl affect him in such a way? The champion prided himself on being unaffected by most things, but somehow this girl managed to get under his skin and into his every thought and turn him into a reactive young male again. He should despise her for it, but he didn't. He wanted her more for it.

_But I have to be patient_, Razer told himself, looking once more at the dark-haired girl, who was slowly turning into the beauty that he knew she was going to be. _One day, she will be ready for me to take and then I will be there for her. Because no other man will have her. I will see to that._

"Goodnight, Mira," Razer whispered, turning his back on the girl and slipping through the crowd. "I will see you again very soon."

OOOOOOOOO

Mira lifted her head as she heard her name whispered and turned to see who had said it. She didn't recognize anyone, but her eyes immediately fixated on that strange man who had come to the races and had been staring at her the entire night. He was turning and slipping away.

_Who are you? _Mira wanted to scream at him, taking a step in his direction. _And why do I feel like I know you so well?_

Part of her wanted to go after that man and rip off his bandana, to reveal his face to her. But the rest of her was afraid to know what lurked behind that disguise. Something dangerous could be hidden behind there. Something that didn't bode well for her.

_Or it could be a friendly,_ something whispered inside Mira's head as the stranger disappeared from sight, swallowed by the crowd of men from the school down the road from hers. _Someone on your side and not Rayn's or Uncle's._

Mira shook her head and looked back at the screens as the final race came to an end. "I wish you were here, Razer."

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Not much really happened in here, I admit, but I wanted to bring in Mara and have Mira have a little race, so I did this. Razer had to see her again and I gave him some interesting thoughts about Mira, now didn't I? Please let me know what you think about this. Thanks! And much love for all things Razer! -Scarlet**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello there again, my lovelies! I think I'm writing this for sheer entertainment at this point, but that's okay. At least I'm writing something these days because Writer's Block is a bitch. Like me at work. But that's another story. Anyway, this update is a time jump and has a lemon in it which I don't know how well I did on because lemons are not my forte but I try. So without further ado, here we go! Enjoy!**

**OOOOOOOOO**

_**Two Years Later…**_

Razer was working in his garage on his Havoc when he realized something. Today was the day that the girl, Mira, was supposed to be coming back from her all girls' school and returning to Kras City. He had done his best to keep an eye on her over the past two years, watching her grow into something of a beauty, but with Mizo becoming an issue and then dying on him and Rayn taking control of the City, he had been rather busy as of late. The Champion felt rather certain that the girl would be quite beautiful when he would see her again, once she returned to the City, if she was lucky enough to survive for more than a few hours.

Yes, he knew that Rayn still had a deep hate for her cousin. There were moments when he had caught the blue-haired vixen mumbling about how she would love to put the girl in the ground. Something that he would not allow to happen. Not when he had put so much effort in keeping tabs on the rebel of the Krew family.

_She entrances me_, Razer realized, straightening and wiping his hands off on a rag. _For some reason Mira has been able to do that since the moment she spoke her first words to me over two years ago. How a young girl from a rival family could do that to me, is beyond me. And yet, it does not displease me. It makes me want to see her more._

"And see her, I shall," Razer decided, tossing the rag aside and walking around his Havoc. "As soon as I figure out where the little girl would be going on her first day back in this dangerous City. Hm…"

OOOOOOOOO

Mira stretched her arms over her head for a moment as she yawned and then sighed, brushing back a strand of her dark hair. Her emerald green eyes scanned the streets of Kras City as she walked, feeling like she had finally gone home for the first time in years. A small taste of freedom after being trapped in that all girls' school for two years with teachers breathing down her neck at her late uncle's orders.

_Poor Uncle dying like that_, Mira thought, crossing her arms under her breasts which she was happy to say had blossomed nicely. _I guess he had it coming with the way that he was going to betray the entire City for the sake of money…Greedy fat bastard. I wonder what Rayn would say if she caught me speaking of him like that? She'd probably try to kill me for it. Like she does for everything that I do out of turn._

The dark-haired Krew scanned the streets again, her heels clicking on the pavement as she wandered through the sparse crowd. A race was going on in the raceway, she could see that projected on one of the large screens that dominated a wall. She rolled her eyes when she saw that Jak was leading the pack. It wasn't that she completely detested the bloke, but she just didn't like how he kept beating Razer at every race that they matched up in.

_Oh, get over that_, Mira told herself as she looked away from the screen. _You and Razer haven't communicated in years. You didn't respond to any of his letters, even when they kept coming. He never came to see you for any reason. And it's not like you were allowed to come back here for a friendly visit with the way that Uncle put a ban on you leaving the property of school grounds. Well, to hell with that! This girl is free now! And I plan on seeing that smug ass Champion again, even if Rayn throws a temper tantrum over it. If he's willing to see me._

Mira glanced at her reflection in a nearby shop window and sighed. She had a feeling that she had a better chance at keeping some bloke's attention, even if Rayn would still be prettier than her by far. Her body had filled out from its bony nature. There were curves and muscles on her now. She had developed perky, full breasts and curvy hips. Her legs were developed nicely and defined under her black mini skirt, but Mira wished that she had chosen to change out of that mini skirt and red button-up blouse that came straight out of her school uniform closet. Even if it gave her a certain appeal, she hated being reminded of that period of her life.

_People are just going to have to deal with that until I change out of these clothes_, Mira thought bitterly, turning on her heel and marching down the street. _Now where should I go for a bite to eat and something to drink? I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm famished._

A small smile touched her lips as her eyes landed on the familiar sign of the Bloody Hook, the one place that both her uncle and Rayn had forbidden her to ever go to again. It was the Forbidden Fruit and Mira was all too ready to walk on the dangerous side of life on her first day back in the City that had won her heart. The girl quickly walked towards the small bar and pushed open the door, breathing in the slightly familiar stench of stale beer and cigar smoke.

This time, no young men littered the bar. Older, scarred men sat around tables, deep in their drinks and conversation. Mira really hadn't expected any different, knowing that most of the younger men were probably on the race course, proving themselves to the world as the next hot thing. She noticed Razer's men sitting in the back corner, hunched over something and they didn't pay her any attention as she walked towards the bar, but some of the other men's eyes followed her as she moved through the tables.

_Don't pay them any attention_, Mira told herself as she stepped up to the bar and sat down on a familiar stool. _That's just what they want._

"Hey Sanders," she greeted, smiling at the old bartender when he turned to look at her.

"Miss Krew?" Sanders said, lifting a bushy eyebrow at her. "I didn't expect to see you back here. Not with your cousin being a tyrannical bitch and forbidding you to come back to see my ugly mug."

"Aw, but who else serves me the best bourbon?" Mira pouted, resting her elbows on the counter. "Besides, the Forbidden Fruit always tastes the sweetest."

Sanders chuckled and shook his head. "It's good to see that someone is still a little rebel, Miss Krew."

"Yep!" Mira smiled at him. "So c'mon, hit me with some pretzels and some bourbon, Sanders."

"Right away, Miss Krew."

Mira watched as Sanders pulled out a basket of pretzels and poured her a large glass of bourbon on the rocks. She saluted him with the glass and then took a sip. The liquid burned down her throat and she put a hand to her chest. Sanders chuckled again.

"I told you before that it's not a lady's drink," Sanders told her with a small smile, his eyes dancing with life.

"And I told Razer that I am not just a lady," Mira said with a matching smile. "I'm a rebel and I can handle the burn. So, go on, get. You have money to make from these ugly blokes. I'll be waiting around here until you get more time to chat. And if Razer pops in, I'll annoy him too."

Sanders shook his head and wandered off to deal with his other patrons. Mira hummed to herself as she helped herself to her pretzels and looked at the strange fish in the tank behind the bar. She really did like coming to this place, even though she had only been to the Bloody Hook once. And that had been one of her best memories of Kras City.

_Only because of Razer_, Mira thought, taking a bite off of a loop of a pretzel. _Why does it seem that the best thing about Kras City these days has to deal with Razer and he's known to be one of the deadliest of the mercenaries in town? And for the longest time, he was Uncle's enemy…Now he works for Rayn. Well sort of…_

Mira mused over her pretzels for a few minutes before she heard the door to the Bloody Hook open. A few of the men let out curses and then someone called out Sanders' name.

"Hey Sanders, two drinks for two winners!" a higher voice called out, telling Mira that the Ottsel was suddenly in her presence.

_Oh shit, they're here_, Mira thought, biting down hard on a pretzel.

Daxter climbed onto the counter and danced around a bit before seeming to notice her. Mira glanced at him and then looked back at the fish in the tank that served as a window.

"Hey baby," Daxter said, smiling at her as he moved closer, even though Jak tried to pull him back. "You see the big race that me and Jak won?"

"Um, no. I must have missed that," Mira said, shaking her head with disinterest. "I was here and not paying attention to you two. Like I want to continue doing." She swirled her bourbon around in her glass. "I have other things that I'd rather be doing than flirting with fuzzy animals."

"Aw, c'mon. You don't know what you're missing," Daxter said, nudging her with his elbow.

"Dax, leave her alone," Jak said, wrapping his hand around his drink.

"But Jak!" Daxter protested, throwing a look over his shoulder at the blond.

"Don't make me tell my cousin about you, Daxter," Mira threatened, playing the cousin card that she hated playing at all on anyone including herself. "Rayn will not be happy that you were messing around with me on my first day back in the City." She sighed. "I really didn't want to deal with her, but I don't want to deal with people hitting on me either."

"Rayn's your cousin?" Jak asked, staring at her.

"Regrettably, yes."

"Wait, wait, wait," Daxter said, waving his hands. "Rayn has a cousin? That's hot? Which means fat, old Krew had a relative too? Okay! That's it! I'm done! I'm done!" He moved away from her. "Jak, this City is getting weird on me again. Like super weird."

Jak nodded and moved farther down the bar, taking a seat at the far end of the counter. Mira sighed again and took another sip of her drink, wishing that she hadn't brought up the fact that she was Rayn's cousin. That was common knowledge to a lot of residents of the City, but Jak didn't need to know that. He could have found out on his own with the way that heroes always found out information. He had friends and Mira didn't want him to make her one of his enemies.

"Hey you," someone said in a deep, gravelly voice from behind her.

"Oh, what do you want?" Mira asked, turning around in her seat to find herself face-to-face with Razer's crew. "Can I help you, Edje?"

"Yeah, you're Rayn's cousin, right?" Edje asked, frowning at her.

"That's what I said," Mira told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, your bitch of a cousin has been making our lives miserable," Shiv told her, his green eyes narrowed at her. "We're getting fucking tired of it."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that," Mira said, shaking her head. "I've been at school and I have no control over what she does or doesn't do."

"I think that we can get something out of this in repayment anyway, boys," Cutter said from behind his mask and Mira had a feeling that he was smirking.

"You know, I think you're right, Cutter," Shiv agreed with a small smirk. "Rayn practically gift wrapped us a payment, didn't she?"

"Um, excuse me?" Mira said, smacking aside Edje's hand when he touched her hair. "You don't get to touch me! What would Razer say if he found out you were messing with someone he knew?"

"Our boss never said anything about a girl like you," Shiv stated, smirking at her. "So why don't you shut your pretty little mouth and take what's coming for you?"  
"Or better yet, open your mouth and let us fill it," Cutter chuckled darkly from behind his mask.

"How about you all go to Hell," Mira snapped, rising to her feet, only to be pushed back down onto her stool. "Leave me alone, dammit!"

Something went off and a line of blood stretched across Shiv's cheek. Shiv touched his face and then turned slowly to look at the person that had fired at him. Mira saw Daxter hastily shove the smoking gun into Jak's hand and felt a small surge of relief spread through her body.

"You!" Shiv snarled, advancing on the two.

_Well, there's that, _Mira thought, turning back to the face the fish tank.

OOOOOOOOO

Razer walked into the Bloody Hook and sighed as he watched people throw each other around. Clearly, someone had started a brawl and he was not going to clean this one up. He carefully picked his way through the mess when his eyes landed on the back of a dark-haired girl that seemed oddly familiar and he sidled up to her. Slowly, he placed his hand on her back, smoothing his gloved fingers over the curve of her spine.

"You want some too?" she demanded, rounding on him with her fist pulled back. Her green eyes widened slightly as she stared up at him. "Oh! It's you."

"Hello little girl," Razer said, taking a drag on his cigarette. "You're in my seat again."

"Try and move me, I dare you," Mira told him, sticking her chin out defiantly.

Razer put his hand on her shoulder and pushed lightly. Mira shifted her body slightly and pressed the toe of her shoe against his groin. A sweet smile touched her lips as he lifted an eyebrow at her.

"If you want to keep that sexy voice at the same level, I suggest you think again about pushing me off," Mira purred, tilting her head to the side.

_Someone has definitely matured into something dangerous_, Razer thought, pulling his hand back as he took the stool next to her.

"Was that so hard, Razer?" Mira asked, watching him.

"Was it you that got these boys into this fight?' Razer asked, ignoring her question as he plucked up one of her pretzels.

"Maybe."

"I can see how," Razer commented, glancing down at her body. "You tried to seduce one or two of them, didn't you?"

"What do you mean?" Mira glanced down at herself and color rose up in her cheeks as she seemed to realize that a couple of the buttons on her blouse had become unbuttoned, revealing just enough of her black lace bra. "Oh!" She quickly buttoned up the shirt and placed a hand against it. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, you jerk?"

Razer smirked at her and took a pull on his cigarette. "What are you drinking?" he asked, gesturing at her drink.

"Bourbon," Mira told him, wrapping her hand around the glass. "Do you want me to get you something? I have some money."

"From your races? I'm sure you do," Razer said with a small laugh. "But a lady never buys a man a drink. Certainly not a Champion." He motioned for Sanders to come over and ordered his usual Scotch. "I do hope you were careful on these races of yours, Mira. They are incredibly dangerous."

"Why do you care?" Mira asked, frowning at him. "You never came to a single one. You never saw if I improved or not."

_Oh, but I do care. And I came to as many as I could_, Razer thought, glancing at her as he took a sip of his Scotch. "And have you improved, little Mira?"

"I beat every single challenger that comes up against me," Mira said almost smugly. "I haven't crashed once and I don't plan on it." She looked away from him. "I want to actually become a real racer and not deal with the illegal races as much anymore, but I don't know if that's possible. With Rayn being on my case, I doubt that I can get into the big leagues of zoomer racing."

Razer rolled his eyes. "Rayn can't stop anything from happening. I say go out there and make something of yourself. I may be able to pull some strings and get you into the big leagues, myself."

"Sure you would," Mira said, bumping her elbow against his.

"I would," Razer told her. "Do you doubt my word, little girl?"

"What did I tell you about calling me that, Razer?" Mira demanded, turning in her seat to face him. "I have a name, you bastard."

"And a smart mouth on you too," Razer commented with a smirk. "Has that girls' school taught you nothing of manners?"

"It's taught me nothing that I care to remember," Mira said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a handful of orbs. "Except that I am glad to get out and be free." She whistled to get Sanders' attention. "I'll see you around, Sanders. I should be going now."

"Have a good afternoon, Miss Krew," Sanders called out to her, waving.

Mira nodded and looked at Razer. She walked around the thugs still brawling and out into the sunlight. Razer downed his Scotch, placed down a few orbs to cover his tab, and then headed out after her. He was temporarily blinded by the sunlight, but when he regained his sight, he noticed that the girl had disappeared.

"Bugger," Razer cursed, narrowing his eyes.

"Looking for something?" Mira's voice floated to his ears.

Razer turned and saw her leaning casually against the hood to his Havoc. The Champion smirked and walked over to her, caging her against his combat vehicle with his body, his hands placed on the hood on either side of her hips. Mira stared up at him, her green eyes dancing with odd life.

"And where exactly did you plan on going?" Razer asked, searching her eyes.

"Home," Mira told him.

"With the blue-haired bitch?" Razer guessed before shaking his head. "I don't think so, little Krew. You've caused enough trouble as it is, do you really think that she's going to welcome you home with open arms?"

"Probably not, but what choice do I have at the moment?" Mira asked, lifting an eyebrow. "I have to go back to Uncle's mansion and sleep there until I can find my own place."

"I highly doubt that she's going to let you sleep. Mira, she wants you dead," Razer told her, knowing that he might as well tell the girl what was waiting for her back at the Krew mansion. "Whatever protection that your uncle provided for you at that school is gone. Once you graduated, you became a target. A real target. And now that you're back here in Kras City, you're open game."

Mira pressed a hand to her throat. "So, we both made a mistake, didn't we, Razer? I made a mistake coming back here after all of these years. And you, you made a mistake those years ago when you decided to take me on that joyride…I'm dead meat."

Razer shook his head and lifted a hand, smoothing it down her cheek. "You're not that dead yet."

"She's improved her shot from what I've heard," Mira said, nodding her head. "Razer, don't you regret your choice now? You really should go to her now and buy me some time. I need to get out of here before she gets the chance to –"

Razer couldn't stand to hear her babbling anymore nor could he stand resisting his desires any longer. He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers in a slow kiss, tasting the sweetness of her mouth against his. Mira didn't resist him when he took the kiss a little deeper and Razer fit his body against hers, threading his fingers through her dark hair. He only pulled back when he knew that they had to breathe.

"The only regrets I have are the ones that regard me letting you get away from me for so long," Razer told the girl as she breathed in slowly, staring down at her. "I should have made sure that no other man tried to lay claim to you, Mira. And if your cousin has a problem with that, she can sod off."

"Razer…" Mira breathed, placing a hand against his cheek.

Razer turned his face and pressed his lips against her palm. "Now Mira, I have something in mind that could seriously crush the hearts of so many of my fans that involves you. Not only will it seriously piss off your cousin, but it will have you screaming like you have never screamed before."

Color flooded Mira's face. "Razer!"

"Of course, if you're chicken, I understand," Razer taunted, putting his hands back on her hips. "We can do something else."

Mira poked him in the chest. "I'm not a chicken. And I might get _you _screaming, Mister."

Razer smirked at her and pulled her away from the hood of his Havoc. "I look forward to you trying, little Mira."

OOOOOOOOO

Mira had been stunned by Razer's mansion, but more impressed by his incredibly beautiful bedroom which he escorted her to immediately. The Champion shed his famous red coat and revealed his toned muscled arms which bore familiar blue tribal tattoos. Mira pointed at them as the man turned to face her.

"You were at my races!" she exclaimed, staring at the tattoos.

"I was," Razer agreed as he gathered her in his arms. "And you fared quite nicely in them, Mira. So well that I was impressed." He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly. "I loved those outfits that you wore in those races…And the way that you took on the men that stood against you. The way that you handled your zoomer…"

Mira's eyes fluttered shut as Razer took the kiss deeper and deeper until her head swam. Her hands found their way into his hair, to the back of his neck and she molded her body against his. Razer's tongue slid against the crease of her lips, silently begging for entrance and Mira parted her lips, letting him slide his tongue against hers in a dance that she was unfamiliar with. She moaned softly as he backed her against one of the posts of his bed and he ground his hips against hers. Razer kissed a path from her lips to her neck and Mira moaned again as he dragged his teeth over her thin flesh.

Razer's fingers deftly unbuttoned her blouse and forced the fabric off of her body, leaving her in her black lace bra. Mira watched him with hooded eyes as he kissed the tops of her breasts and then dragged the bra off of her. Mira gasped as he closed his mouth over one of her breasts and threw her head back as he began to suck fiercely on her flesh, his hand playing with the tip of the other breast. Her body arched into him as he moved to her other breast and Mira gasped his name as she felt a strange sensation build up between her legs.

"Razer!" Mira moaned as he lifted his face away from her breasts.

Razer's green eyes glittered as he lifted his shirt off of his body and Mira trailed her hands over his fit torso. She dragged her nails lightly over his skin and the Champion shivered slightly. Mira smirked and pressed a kiss to his chest before raising herself back onto her toes and kissing him on the lips. Razer's hands cupped her ass under her skirt and hoisted her up, carrying her over to the bed and carefully depositing her on it.

The Champion tugged off her skirt and slid off her black lace panties. His hand passed over her as she laid there on the bed and he watched her eyes as he touched his fingers to her folds.

"You have never been with a man before, have you?" he asked quietly.

Mira shook her head, biting her bottom lip.

Razer nodded and slid a finger inside of her and Mira gasped, releasing her bottom lip as a new sensation rocked through her body. Razer pumped his finger inside of her slowly before adding another one and stroked her with his thumb. Mira moaned softly as a friction built up inside of her, overriding any pain that she had felt moments before. Razer's fingers moved faster as she gripped him and then she fell over the edge and she cried out, arching her hips off of the bed.

Razer pulled his fingers out of her and wiped them casually on the leg of his pants. Mira panted raggedly as she watched him rise off of the bed and go to work on his pants. Razer stepped out of his pants and let his arousal swing free, Mira feeling her cheeks flood with heat at the sight of it.

"Don't be embarrassed," Razer said as he nudged her thighs open for him. "You're a young woman and this is a sight you're going to see again and again, if you want to."

Mira cried out as Razer thrust into her and their hips touched. Her nails bit into his back as he started a slow rhythm of thrusts that left her panting and moaning and Razer gripped her hips tightly in his hands. It only took a few minutes for Mira to fall off the edge and Razer kept going through it…

OOOOOOOOOO

Razer held the dark-haired Krew against him hours later and smirked to himself as she nuzzled her face against his chest. He had finally gotten what he had wanted after all of these long years and now he wanted more of it. He wanted more of her, but it would have to wait, he knew that from what he knew of newly turned virgins. Mira sighed and lifted her green gaze to his, a small smile playing on her lips. Razer pressed his lips against hers and threaded his fingers through her hair, wishing that he could do more with her in that moment than just kiss her.

_Be patient_, he told himself. _There is always tomorrow._

"So that is definitely one way to piss off my cousin and break a lot of hearts," Mira commented when he parted from her. "I think it's the best way too."

Razer chuckled. "You weren't complaining when you were screaming my name, Mira."

Mira smacked him lightly on the chest and Razer pulled her closer to him, letting her wrap her arms around him. Precursors, he wasn't going to let this girl get away from him now.

"Hey Boss!" Shiv's voice broke through the moment as the orange haired man walked into the room.

Mira made a small sound and gripped the blanket, pulling it up to her chin. Razer glared at his henchmen and silently dared him to ogle at the girl that was lying in his bed.

"What do you want?" Razer demanded, putting ice into his voice.

"Krew's outside the gate," Shiv said, remaining at a good distance and keeping his eyes averted from Mira like a smart man. "She's got armed men and looks ready for a fight. I think she's here for the – the girl, Boss."

"Good, now get out," Razer ordered, motioning for the man to leave which he promptly did. "Bugger on him."

Mira glanced at the window and then climbed out of the bed, wrapping the sheet around herself like a makeshift dress as she went. Razer watched her go and saw her peer out from behind the curtain. Mira sighed and let the curtain drop back into place. She turned to look at him with a sudden sadness in her eyes.

"She's out there with a lot of men, Razer," Mira announced, moving around the room in search of her clothes. "I have to do something about that."

"There's nothing you can do without getting yourself killed, Mira," Razer said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "This is a matter that mercenaries are meant to deal with. Not school girls."

"Razer, my uncle wouldn't have given me so much power before he died if he didn't think I couldn't handle this," Mira announced, sliding her clothes back onto her body, but she neglected to button her shirt back up.

Razer's brow furrowed. "Power? What are you talking about? You have no power in this City, Mira."

"That's where your wrong, Razer." Mira patted him on the chest as she headed for the door. "I'll explain that to you in a little bit."

Razer cursed under his breath and started rooting around the room for his pants. "That girl is going to be the death of me and herself!"

OOOOOOOOO

Mira walked slowly down the driveway to the gates that led to the streets of Kras City and saw that her cousin was sitting just beyond them, surrounded by dozens of armed men. A large coil gun sat on her lap, which she was stroking fondly like it was a loving pet. At the sound of Mira's footsteps, Rayn's amber eyes lifted and narrowed at her cousin.

"Hello Rayn," Mira greeted, bowing her head slightly. "It's been awhile." She gestured around her cousin. "Is that really necessary?"

"It's necessary," Rayn said with a small smile. "Because you've betrayed me again and again, Mira. Always taking what's mine and doing what you wanted because you've gotten freedom while I've had none. Well, not anymore. You get nothing and I have everything. I have this whole damn City. I have Razer."

Mira shook her head. "I never asked for anything, Rayn. Just that you would let me live my life without making it miserable, but never let me have that. And when Razer gave me the chance, you made it worse. Rayn, can't you just get over that and move on? You have the power in this City and you don't need to do anything to me. I can live quietly and –"

"And continue to make Razer want you?" Rayn laughed. "I don't think so! Razer is mine, Mira. Once you are out of the way, the entire City and everything and everyone in it is mine. Do you understand that?"

"But I'm your cousin!"

"And I hate you," Rayn told her. "I've always hated you."

Mira sighed. "Rayn…"

"So, now you're going to be put into the same place that your mother is," Rayn decided, pointing her gun at Mira as her men did. "Father would not have approved of this when he was alive, but he's dead now. And I get to make the call, for the good of the family and the business. No hard feelings, Mira, but you're no good to this City alive. Two Krews can't run a City together."

A gun slowly inched its way into Mira's sight and Razer appeared at her side, his gun trained on Rayn. Mira felt her heart beat rapidly in her breast as he cocked the gun and glared at the blue-haired beauty.

"Rayn, you couldn't kill your friends," Razer reminded her with a small smirk. "What makes you think that you could kill your own blood?"

"Don't you point your gun at me, Razer," Rayn snapped, glaring at him. "I own you, remember?"

"Razer don't lower your gun," Mira ordered, feeling something shift in her body.

"Wasn't planning on it," Razer said, glancing at her.

"He has to listen to my orders, Mira," Rayn said smugly. "I own him and his crew after what happened at Mizo's demise."

"Wrong," Mira said, shaking her head. She glanced around at the men outside Razer's gate. "Boys, lower your guns, please."

Half of the men slowly lowered their guns and looked around at the others. Rayn stared at them and tried to order them to put their guns back up, but they didn't listen to her. Mira shook her head and earned her cousin's attention once more.

"They're not going to listen to your orders, Rayn," Mira told her. "Uncle gave me power over half of the business and therefore, half of your men. There was a secret meeting before his death at the school that signed away half of the business to me, but I had to wait until I graduated to claim it." She gestured over at Razer. "I actually get Mizo's dream team as part of the deal, so do me a favor and stop trying to boss Razer around like he's your bitch."

Rayn looked horrified. "Father betrayed me! You have all betrayed me!"

"And I'm willing to let you continue to run this City like you have with only minor interference from me," Mira said, crossing her arms over her chest as the rest of Razer's gang showed up behind her finally. "I never really wanted to get involved, but you made me do this. You pulled me in. But if you do anything that steps out of line, I won't hesitate to put a stop to it and to you and take full control, Rayn."

"I thought you were always the good one, Mira," Rayn whispered, lowering her gun.

"I was until you made me something I didn't want to be," Mira said softly before pointing towards the street. "Now leave. I don't want to see you around here again."

"This isn't over," Rayn promised before turning on her heel and storming over to the side of her combat vehicle.

Mira watched as her cousin and her men sped away in their cars. Mira quietly ordered her own men to go home for the night and to report back to Rayn for normal duty, but to keep her posted on what was happening. She turned to face Razer once they had left and watched him slide his gun back onto the holster on his hip.

"When were you going to tell you that you were my boss, Mira?" Razer demanded, his voice low as he stared at her.

"Right around the same time that I was going to tell you that I don't care what you do," Mira told him with a frown. "I hardly know what I'm doing in the world of gangs and crime, not like you do. So I'm not going to pretend to know anything over you. I will, however, have to pretend to boss you around whenever Rayn comes around. Other than that, you're on your own to do what you want, Razer."

Razer smirked. "You might be the only boss that I enjoy having, Mira."

"Good to know." Mira folded her arms over her chest. "I guess I'm going to have to find somewhere to stay for the night…Rayn has probably dumped my stuff on the streets and is ready to kill me completely if I even attempt to go into Uncle's mansion…"

Razer shook his head and pulled her to him, placing his hand firmly against the small of his back. "You're not going anywhere, little Mira. I believe I have made it perfectly clear that you are mine and that no other man is going to get their claws into you, now haven't I?"

Mira placed a hand on his chest. "Is that an invite to stay, Razer?"

Razer glanced over at his men. "Go get her things and place them outside my room," he ordered. "I will have them brought in there in the morning." He looked back at Mira. "You are staying with me forever, Mira, and I plan on making sure that we keep each other walking on that dangerous side of life together."

"More joyrides?" Mira asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"As many as you want," Razer promised, pressing his lips to hers. "Let's keep pissing your cousin off, shall we?"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: I really am having fun messing around with the old storyline a bit. I haven't really gone back and read Joyride's End much in a long time and much less read the reviews, but I know that I have improved slightly. Well, I hope that I have. Let me know what you think, please! I really crave reviews at this point. Good, bad, indifferent, silly, anything would be good to read. Just say hi if that's all you can do. Just give me a small contribution in that little box and that's good with me. Thank you so much and have a pleasant day! -Scarlet**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello loves. I really am doing this for sheer entertainment now. When I get the feeling to update this, I will randomly do it. I'm having random moments of inspiration for all of my stories and that's both a blessing and a curse. So for now, enjoy.**

**OOOOOOOOO**

Mira stared at her zoomer for a moment before throwing down her tool and rocked back on her heels. She should have known that her cousin would have gotten her hands on her most prized possession and messed up most of the systems before Mira could safely get it to Razer's. There were so many things wrong with it and Mira knew that she would be lucky if she could ever get it fixed again.

_Damn you, Rayn_, Mira thought, rubbing her hands on the legs of her black pants as she rose to her feet and moved away from her zoomer.

She looked around Razer's garage, anywhere but her zoomer and told herself not to cry. It'd been three days since she had come home to Kras City and Rayn was going out of her way to make her life miserable while Razer was making her welcome. He'd moved her into his room after her men had found her things strewn in the streets outside of the Krew mansion. Half of the Krew crime business was hers, half of the damn City was hers and she didn't want it. Not with Rayn acting like this.

Mira kicked a tool box as she cast a look back at her zoomer when something buzzed on it and let out a small sound. A piece of the once shiny metal fell off and Mira's heart broke. She had seen the look in Shiv's eyes when the mercenary brought the zoomer to her: pity. Something told her that after three days, he was starting to warm up to her, that all of Razer's men were because she treated them kindly and let them have their way whenever Rayn wasn't looking. She was a good crime boss, but this, this broke her.

"Mira," Razer's voice broke into her thoughts as she stared at her precious zoomer.

Mira glanced at him as she leaned back against something cold and hard and felt her heart flutter in her chest, but it hurt. His green eyes smoldered as they looked at her and then turned in the direction of her zoomer. The Krew saw his right hand tighten into a fist before he moved over to the piece of machinery. He crouched down next to it and ran his hand over the side, examining it.

"She completely destroyed everything inside of it, Razer," Mira whispered, staring at his back, suddenly realizing he was lacking his famous red coat again.

Razer poked something. "You already ran diagnostics on the electrical systems to be sure?"

Mira nodded. "I did everything…Rayn destroyed my zoomer. She got her hands on it and she destroyed it." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I knew she hated me, but this is my most prized possession, Razer."

The Champion cursed as he straightened again. "Bitch…" He stared at his Havoc for a moment. "It's a loss, Mira dearest…but it can be replaced."

Mira sighed as she brushed back a strand of dark hair that had fallen in her face. "I guess it can be, one day." She looked down at the polished floor of the garage and stared at her boots. "I still can't believe that she did this."

"Warring crime lords are going to hurt each other anyway that they can," Razer reminded her as he moved to stand in front of her. The Champion put his hands on her arms and tapped his fingers against her warm flesh. "Mira, you don't have to wait for _one day_. We can scrap this zoomer today and get you a new one within a few hours."

Mira shook her head. "That's too much to ask from you."

Razer put two fingers under her chin and tilted her chin up. "You're getting a new zoomer to rub in that blue haired diva's face, little rebel. If I have to pick it out, I'll pick out the best one that I know. I'll get you a fleet of them. One for each day of the week with two to spare just in case you have an accident."

Fire lit up Mira's green eyes. "I haven't had an accident in over a year, Razer!"

A smirk quirked up Razer's lips. "There's that temper that I knew my young one had." He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. "Shall we go get your new zoomer or do I need to continue prodding that fire in you a bit longer?"

Mira bumped her hips against his and smirked at his little growl. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think you're walking into dangerous territory if you keep that up," Razor said, putting his hand on her hip and squeezing it warningly.

The dark-haired rebel shook her head. "Don't threaten me with two good times in the same day, Razer."

Razer leaned forward and stared into her eyes, a fire burning in his eyes. "Do you honestly want me to touch you in this cold garage instead of a nice warm bed, little Mira?"

Mira shivered and held her breath as she looked into his eyes. Razer hadn't missed an opportunity to take her to his bed since her first night with him at his mansion. She willingly went to him. She wanted him. She craved his touch. Her eyes challenged him as she slid a hand against the back of his neck and let her fingertips flirt with the hair that lay at the base of his neck.

Razer smirked and pressed his lips to hers in a heated kiss that he had to break when the door to the garage hissed open. Mira glanced over and saw Mara standing there with Shiv, looking like she was having a good time in Razer's garage. Razer glowered at Shiv and tightened his grip on Mira's hip, obviously not thrilled about being interrupted.

"Bad time?" Mara asked, smiling.

"Obviously," Razer said, his voice flat. "And you are?"

"Mara Black," Mara said dully. She pointed at Mira. "Her best friend and I'm wondering why someone double her age is grinding against her in a garage."

"Mara," Mira muttered, heat flooding her face.

OOOOOOOOO

Razer decided that he would tolerate this Mara Black for Mira's sake. They made small talk for a few minutes in his garage before she realized that Mira's zoomer was destroyed, got mad, and agreed with Razer that it was time that Mira got a new one. Mira sat next to Razer in his Havoc as they sped through the City with Mara following behind in her own combat vehicle and Razer glanced in his mirror, quirking up an eyebrow as he watched the raven-haired double of his girl drive for a moment.

"Your friend has an interesting driving style," Razer commented, turning his attention back onto Mira and the road ahead of him. "She's taking the walls rather closely."

Mira let out a little laugh. "The Wall Runner, that's what the boys down the street called her. She's always taking the corners too closely and riding the walls, but only on days when she's had too much sugar, which I guess is today…" Mira shrugged a shoulder. "I can't blame her. She had to travel to get here."

"I'm surprised that Rayn hasn't taken her out yet for looking like you," Razer commented, taking a turn smoothly and wincing when he heard Mara's car scrape against the wall shortly afterwards. _That poor vehicle…_

"You've noticed that, I see."

"There are subtle differences like the eyes, but she could almost be your double." Razer glanced over at Mira. "Even if she was your double, I could tell you apart in a heartbeat. It's a feeling, not the appearance that makes you who you are, young Krew."

A soft smile touched Mira's lips. "Getting poetic and soft on me, Razer?"

Razer chuckled. "Hardly. More like trying to gage how much of my bullshit you'll tolerate before you'll smack me."

Mira reached out and playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "Happy?"

Razer smirked. "I want to see you smack me somewhere else and with meaning."

"You're horrible," Mira laughed, looking out the window.

The Champion lifted an eyebrow. "Did I say that I wasn't? Hm. Must have slipped my mind when I gave my you're moving in with me and you're mine forever speech. My apologies." He turned his Havoc sharply, causing her to slide against him with another giggle. Razer slid an arm around her. "Much better."

"So horrible," Mira said, putting a hand on his thigh.

"This horrible man is about to purchase you something very shiny," Razer commented, stopping in front of a large building and killing the engine to his Havoc. "You'll get to drive it home too."

Mira leaned forward in her seat and her mouth dropped open. "Razer, this is the best zoomer store in the region! They only sell the top-of-the-line models here!"

Razer smirked. "I know."

"And you're going to buy me one?" Mira asked, incredulous.

"Yes, I am."

Mira put her hands on either side of his face and pressed numerous kisses to his lips. "I love you, I love you, I love you." She sighed and dropped her hands. "But this asking for a lot, mister."

"I have money to spare and you need a zoomer, Mira. We need to continue pissing off your cousin. You can't race anywhere if you don't have a zoomer, so we're getting you one from in there." Razer opened the door to his Havoc and climbed out before looking back at her. "Are you coming or should I pick one out for you?"

Mira let out a little growl and slid over to the edge of the seat, giving him a look. "I'll pick one out."

Razer hoisted her out of his Havoc and escorted her into the zoomer shop. Mira's eyes widened when they stepped inside and she ran her hand over the nearest zoomer with reverence. When a dealer came over with a macho attitude, Mira started talking with the knowledge of zoomers that impressed Razer and obviously shocked the hell out of the dealer. She knew her way around a zoomer and knew what she wanted in one to fit her needs.

He let her go off with the dealer to examine a few silver zoomers, keeping a close eye on her from a reasonable distance as Mara stepped to his side.

"I still can't believe that Rayn would do that to Mira," Mara commented, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm so going to tell Braxxin and the others about this. They were the ones that helped chip in to buy her that zoomer. We all did." She elbowed him. "Thanks for buying her a new one."

Razer nodded. "I'm doing this for her and to piss off Rayn."

"Good. We all need to piss off that blue-haired diva." She sighed. "Just don't let anything happen to Mira. If she gets hurt, I'm coming for your heads."

"With the way I've seen you drive, I'm sure that your skills with a gun are not something I should be worried about," Razer commented, glancing in her direction.

"Have I mentioned that I don't like you that much?" Mara asked, looking at him. "You got an attitude on you that's all cock and bull."

"And you're annoying," Razer pointed out. "As long as Mira finds something redeemable in me, I'm content."

Mara huffed. "That makes a load of difference." She scuffed the toe of her boot against the polished floor. "As long as she's happy, I'm happy for her, but I'm warning you, if you ever hurt her, I have a gang of people that are willing to hunt you down and make you suffer. We zoomer racers are loyal to each other. We always have been."

"I'm sure," Razer said, turning his gaze away from the woman that looked so much like his Krew but was vastly different. "I can assure you I will never intentionally hurt Mira, Miss Black. That may be Rayn's goal, but not mine."

"Good, then we can get along."

"For her sake, yes."

"So you better not comment on my driving skills. I can drive."

"Yes, you can. Up against a wall." Razer moved away from the girl as she grumbled and walked over to Mira as she mounted a zoomer that she seemed to like and tested out some switches. "Mira…"

Mira's green eyes turned up to meet his and held an excitement in them that he'd seen a handful of times before. She smiled at him as she sat back on the zoomer and let her hands grip the handlebars to balance herself. "This is a beautiful place, Razer."

"I'm sure you're having the time of your life," Razer commented with the hint of a smirk on his face. "Have you seen anything you like, dear one?"

Mira nodded and squeezed the handlebars of the zoomer she was perched on. "I really like this one, but this guy says it's expensive." She shook her head. "I can find a different one."

Razer's green eyes turned towards the dealer and he saw the little cheesy smile on the man's face. "How much?"

"60,000 orbs," the dealer said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Razer reached out and put a hand on Mira's shoulder to keep her from climbing off of the zoomer when she heard the price of it. "I'll give you 80,000 for two."

"Razer…" Mira whispered, staring at him.

The dealer stuck his chin out. "100,000."

"85,000 final offer," Razer said, holding his stare without blinking.

The dealer caved after a minute of Razer not backing down and nodded. "85,000 for two of these beauties." He looked at Mira. "You know how to bring back up, little lady." He turned. "Let me go get the paperwork and we can make the transactions."

Mira's eyes turned to Razer after the man disappeared into his office and he smirked at her. "Razer, you seriously just bought me two elite zoomers for – for 85,000 just like that?"

"I did," Razer said, nodding his head once. "What are you going to do about it?"

Mira wrapped her hand in his redcoat and pulled him down to her level. Her lips crashed into his in a heated kiss and Mira leaned more into him. Razer had to wrap an arm around her to keep her from falling off the zoomer. She laughed as she broke the kiss and straightened, brushing back a strand of hair that fell near her face.

"Is that all?" Razer asked, a deadly smirk playing on his lips.

"For now," Mira said casually, folding her arms over her chest. "You might get more later, but I want to get my new precious home." Her eyes danced. "Can we drive this by Rayn's place to piss her off?"

Razer smirked. "Gladly."

OOOOOOOOO

Mira parked her new zoomer in the spot that her old zoomer had sat hours before and pulled her goggles off before releasing her hair from its tie. Her dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders as she straddled her zoomer and waited for Razer to pull into the garage and the doors to lock into place behind them. Her green eyes followed the Champion as he climbed out of his Havoc and moved over to her side, his eyes holding hers.

"You looked good driving this home," Razer commented, cupping her cheek with his hand. "Tonight, your backup arrives and tomorrow, you're getting signed up for the big leagues."

"Razer, you're doing so much for me," Mira said, searching his eyes. "Why?"

"Because I can. And more importantly, because I want to." He grazed his lips against hers. "Just try to stop me."

Mira kissed him softly and let him take the kiss deeper for a moment. She trembled as he ran his hand down the column of her neck and he broke the kiss.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked as she swung her leg over the side of the zoomer and looked at him.

Mira shook her head and pulled off her riding gloves, tossing them aside. "Razer, I want you. Please…"

Razer smirked and gathered her in his arms. "Try to stop me, little Mira." He dipped his head and kissed her deeply.

**OOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: I'm having fun, I don't know about you. Happy New Year. Much love. -Scarlet**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello. Update time. Random update with just a scene that I felt like writing. Enjoy!**

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

Mira didn't understand why Razer was suddenly taking so many precautions with her safety. He'd hired more guards for their mansion. There were tails for her when she went out on rides and sometimes, he drove after her, giving her almost a curfew of when she could be out and where she couldn't go. Sometimes he made her go to a box at the racing circuits that he went to so that she could be under guard while he worked and knew exactly where she was at all times. He'd picked up their hand to hand training and her training at weapons usage.

"Razer, are you going to tell me what's going on?" Mira asked as they were seated at a table at a restaurant. "Finally?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Razer said, flipping through the menu.

Mira bristled. "Don't play that game with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. All these protections, these precautions – what's the sudden need for them?"

Razer's lime green eyes flickered onto hers. "I thought you would be glad for the extra protection, young Krew."

"Well, I'm not," Mira said, ordering herself a red wine. "I feel like I'm constantly being watched and trapped in this little box. And I can't even really move when I'm at my races, which isn't fair. You have all the freedom in the world to move about."

Razer chuckled and ordered a sherry. "Of course, I'm a mercenary. You're eighteen."

"I'm an adult!" Mira insisted.

"You're still a teenager with an adult's license to do things," Razer corrected. "You don't have enough experience with the real world – the crime world, nonetheless – to face what's possibly coming." He set his menu down. "Leave it to the real adults to play the games until you're ready."

Mira kicked him under the table. "I won't sit on the sidelines, Razer. I already told you that."

"And I'm not going to let you die recklessly," Razer told her, lifting an eyebrow.

Mira stuck her tongue out at him and browsed through her own menu. "I'm too stubborn to die."

"Keep it that way."

The young Krew accepted her drink from the waiter when he came back and noticed that he had a worried look in his eye. She ordered her food from him and listened to Razer do the same. She noticed him hover for a moment longer as he collected their menus and then he was gone.

"Odd man," she commented, wrapping her fingers around the stem of her wineglass as she looked back at Razer.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Indeed," Razer said, watching the man depart.

His eyes scanned the restaurant as he picked up his sherry and sniffed it. They landed on a certain blue haired woman that he didn't like working with these days and he noticed that she was staring at their table with sick glee. Razer didn't raise his sherry any further to his lips and instead set it down.

"Mira, don't drink that," Razer ordered, turning his gaze back onto his girlfriend.

Mira choked on what she had already swallowed. "What? Why?" Her eyes went wide as her lips started turning dark. "Razer, my blood's on fire…"

Razer swore under his breath and rose to his feet quickly. He grabbed his girlfriend and instructed her to hold onto the wineglass and not spill a single drop as he carried her out of the restaurant. She whimpered and clawed at her neck as black marks started spreading out across her skin.

_Damn you, Rayne! _Razer thought, stowing his girlfriend in his Havoc and hitting the accelerator. _I knew you were up to something – I just didn't know when you would strike. I should have checked everything. All the food. Every drink. Everything that Mira touches. You won't stop at anything to be the only Krew in charge, you scheming bitch._

"Razer…" Mira groaned, slumping against the seat and clutching the wineglass tight to her chest. "It burns…so much…make it…make it stop…"

Razer snapped his fingers as she took a shaky breath. "Don't slip into unconsciousness, Mira, dammit! I swear to the Precursors if you slip into unconsciousness I will beat your ass! You need to stay awake and fight this! We're almost at the Healer's and they will save your life or so help me God, I will kill them with what's in the cup in your hands."

Mira gurgled in response and clawed at her neck again. Razer reached over and stilled her hand, gripping a little too firmly, he knew, but he was angry. Not at her. Probably never truly at her, but at the fact that he had screwed up and now they were walking on the edge of demise. After being without her for years, he wasn't going to let a mere act of poisoning take her away when he had just gotten her in his arms for real.

"Hold on, Krew," he ordered, turning sharply down a street and into a shopping district that he hadn't gone into for months. "Just fucking hold on."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Mira's blood was like fire and she had caught sight of the black marks tracing out on her skin. She didn't understand what was happening. It had something to do with the wine that she had barely sipped and now held in her hands, so close to her chest. Why was she holding the glass again? Why hadn't Razer told her to throw it far away from her if it had been the thing that had hurt her?

The raven-haired girl slumped against the window and closed her eyes. She felt tired and hot and wanted nothing more than to scream and sleep. To be done with this trip and this pain. Why couldn't Razer take her back home? Why couldn't they go to sleep? Cuddle up and be naked and sleep without the sheets?

_I should ask him…_

When Mira opened her mouth, all that came out was a gurgling, painful cry. Razer reached out and put his hand on her thigh, squeezing gently and his hand sent painful fire through her body. Mira cried out with that gurgling sound again and clawed at her skin, trying to reach him and not spill that infernal cup at the same time.

"Almost there…" Razer told her, his voice sounding strange to her ears, distant.

"Don't…leave me…" Mira whispered, starting to panic, thinking that he was going away.

"Mira," Razer's voice floated to her. "Not…anywhere…"

"Razer…"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Razer watched Mira twist violently in her seat and start convulsing, but he was already on the move. He pulled her from the vehicle and carried her into the Healer's hut. The Champion paid no attention to anyone else sitting in there, choosing to move back into the Healer's workspace where they were cleaning up from their last job and preparing for the next. He placed Mira on their table and looked at them.

"Help her, now!" Razer ordered, glaring daggers at the Healer.

The Healer moved forward and she placed her hands on either side of Mira's face. Mira cried out and turned her face away. The Healer's green eyes glowed for a moment before she looked at Razer in alarm.

"She's been poisoned with a derivative of Dark Eco," she whispered, sounding shocked.

"Can you heal her?" Razer demanded, putting his hand on the hilt of his gun.

The woman put her hand on Mira's shoulder and stroked her skin. "She needs a treatment of Light Eco, but do you know how rare that is? And only one person I know in this entire City has the ability to use it…" She looked at Razer. "I can only comfort her…slow it down to give you time…"

"Not good enough," Razer ground out, lifting his gun.

The Healer put her hands up in surrender. "Call Jak. Ask him to come. Come fast. He can heal her. If he's willing. He has the balance of Light and Dark. I think he can help."

Razer ground his teeth together and put his gun back into its holster. He didn't want to think about calling that infernal hero. The one that had been beating him in race after race lately. His eyes turned to Mira, her skin draining of color while the dark marks spread across it like horrible reminders that he had let her down for just a moment.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mira woke up hours later in the bed that she shared with Razer. She was only dressed in her underwear but the sheets were lazily pulled over her like the Champion had tried to give her a sembleance of modesty. The rebel put a hand to her head and blinked back a headache. She didn't understand how she had gotten from the car to the Healer's to here or wherever, but she was so glad to be home.

_Razer…_

The girl sat up and climbed out of bed. She wrapped a robe around herself and walked out of the bedroom. It didn't take long to find him at the shooting course that he kept near the garage, practicing his shots on a target that looked vaguely like her cousin. Mira shook her head and moved over to stand next to him, putting a hand on his arm.

"Razer, stop," she ordered gently.

"You're underdressed for the shooting course, Mira," Razer told her, firing off another round that caught the target between the eyes. "Go back inside."

Mira hesitated. "I think I understand why you wanted to put all those protections on me and precautions in place, Razer."

"And why is that?"

"Because…because my cousin is plotting my death more seriously now than ever," Mira stated, looking down at his chest. "Rayne has decided that this City is not big enough for two Krew cousins to run it at the same time, so it's time to eliminate one from the picture. Me."

"You could likewise do the same," Razer commented, turning and firing a one-handed shot that caught the target in the chest without even looking. "I already have the best men at your disposal. All you need to do is give the order and the City is yours." He smirked. "Ours."'

Mira sighed. "I don't want to kill my cousin…"

"In this world, it's kill or be killed. She's clearly got no issue with killing you." Razer cupped her chin and tilted her face up to look her in the eye. "I have no problem killing for you. Rayne is not the kind of crimelord that this City needs. You are more suited for it."

"Because I'm easy to manipulate?"

"Because you learn and you know how to stand up for what you believe in," Razer corrected. He traced his thumb over her bottom lip. "I won't let her kill you. And I'm not letting you get yourself killed. Think on it, young Krew. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose but your life."

"And you," Mira whispered, curling her fingers in his shirt.

Razer shook his head. "Not a chance."

**OOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Another update out of the way. I did good so far. I'm happy with the progression of this story. It makes me happy. Thanks for reading. -Scarlet**


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